I got an interesting comment on one of the recipes today. It was explained to me that chipotle peppers are not raw, and if I served the eggplant bacon to someone who was a 100% raw foodist, they would get really angry. Technically, chipotle peppers are smoked. I don’t know how high the heat gets when they are being smoked. The actual smoking and drying takes days. So, it is possible that the peppers never reach the 116 degrees. Are they raw? Probably not.

When you make the eggplant bacon, 1/4 of a teaspoon of dried chipotle powder is required for the recipe. It goes in the marinade which get’s drained off before the eggplant is dehydrated. So, if you want to get technical, maybe one grain of the powder remains on a piece? Not sure. Would that make a 100% raw foodist angry? Once again, I don’t know. But there is a bigger question brewing here. Just how raw do you have to be?

I once heard a quote, “Perfection is not an option”. I fell in love with that saying and it has been my motto ever since. I believe that trying to be perfect just sets us up for failure. Do I believe in doing the best you can do? Yes. I also believe in striving to be better. But perfection? Way too restricting.

There are people who eat 100% raw food. I admire them and respect their choices. There are times that I am 100% raw. Honestly, it is when I feel the best. But I don’t always find it practical. Nor do I suggest that someone starting a raw diet should go 100% immediately. It is a great way to set yourself up for failure. For me, it is about striving to be the best, not perfect. Transitioning raw into your life is easier than going 100% cold turkey. Replacing that a cheesecake that is made from eggs, sugar, cream cheese, etc, with one that has a handful of cashews and almonds as it’s main ingredients is going to make a difference in how you feel. It is a start. When you realize that you can have healthy food that tastes great, you are on your way.

I don’t want to keep score. I want you to realize that there are healthier alternatives to what you may be eating. I believe that the more raw foods you eat, the healthier you will be. Will you eat super healthy food if it doesn’t appeal to you? Probably not. So, if adding a grain of chipotle pepper to a recipe pushes the flavor over the top, I am going to do it. How raw you want to be is a personal choice. I can just hope that my recipes encourage you to incorporate as much raw into your diet as you can.